


His Place

by Cutie_chan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jealousy, M/M, Oikage Day, POV Alternating, Sorry Not Sorry, Swearing, The Author Regrets Nothing, Unrequited Love, Violence, iwaoi - Freeform, nothing too serious, oikage, unresolved mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-04 13:33:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15842307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutie_chan/pseuds/Cutie_chan
Summary: Oikage day 3 - Merpeople/Royalty AUKageyama studies the scars on his body. Kageyama watches the human boy. Kageyama stares at Oikawa, his prince.And it stays that way.For a really long time.





	His Place

**Author's Note:**

> So... This is going to be an angsty fic, just to put it out there. Please don't hate me for it!  
> I know this Oikage event should be filled with lovely, cutesy Oikage stuff, but... meh. I don't know what I was thinking.
> 
> I decided to put this up for the third day instead of the first one because the major theme in this is merpeople, and the royalty side of it comes as a secondary theme.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

“You’re not supposed to talk to humans”. 

Oikawa  _hated_ that voice. It was infuriatingly blunt, and in the worst of times, it cut deep. Oikawa, an agitated gem, scoffed and flicked his tail, its scales shimmered. 

“Following me again, are you?” The reply was instant, 

“I was ordered to find you, by the King”, 

“were you now?” Just the mere mention of the merman he was supposed to call father made his tail curl. 

“Yes, he requires an assembly”. Oikawa crossed his arms over his chest and swam slowly, he kept his head forward but his eyes trailed off to the side. To the young merman beside him. His fingers were brushing up his arm and his eyes were glazed over. He was doing that  _thing_. Oikawa wasn’t there when it happened but his sister told him Tobio was saved.  

He was with the humans. 

He himself never asked what the humans did to Tobio, but he knew that he was thinking about them whenever he went quiet. Or more quiet than normal. Tobio was the quietest merboy he had ever met.  

Well, whatever. Oikawa didn’t like him regardless of whether he was tortured by the humans or not. He was weird and dumb. However... Oikawa caught the glimmer of his tail, the rays of sun made it seem like it was glowing. The brunette turned his eyes away. 

“Oi”, he snapped, “are you going to escort me or what?” 

Tobio flinched and swiftly came to Oikawa’s side. That’s another thing he hated about the merboy. 

 He was graceful.  

Beautifully so.  

How unfair. 

 

They swam in silence for the majority of the journey, which was a considerate amount of time. The humans weren’t anywhere close to the merpeople. It wasn’t the first time Oikawa had snuck off to converse with humans, and every time Kageyama found the Prince, he was all smiles, talking to ‘Iwa-chan’, as he recalled.  

His eyebrows scrunched at the thought of it.  

If Oikawa was ever caught for a second with his head above water, Kageyama would be sure to face punishment for not watching over him properly. He wouldn’t be excused from it, not if they were dealing the King’s son. 

Kageyama was easily disposable. 

 

They were nearing the rest of civilization and the castle when Oikawa spoke softly, as if he was scared. 

“What does my father want?” 

“He... wants to...” Tobio gulped and grabbed his arm unconsciously, “I haven’t been granted permission tell you”, 

“Tobio-” 

“The King awaits you, you must go”. 

To Oikawa’s dismay, they stood by tall doors where behind them would be his father and other members of the council. Tobio bowed and turned away before Oikawa could speak. The doors had opened, another merboy about Oikawa’s age popped his head out and grimaced. 

“Tooru”, he whispered “you’re late”, 

“Thanks for letting me know, Makki”. 

 

* * *

 

He never knew where to go without Oikawa. Usually the Prince would give him orders and decide for him what his next objective would be, it had been like that ever since he entered the ocean. And other times, when Oikawa refused to talk to him, he could still follow the Prince silently and never have to mind about his destination. Without Oikawa, he felt lost.  

He could see himself, sticking out like a sore thumb. From his blue eyes to the scars on his body. Not that he ever felt at home in the castle, or anywhere for that matter. 

He just had a purpose when he was with Oikawa. 

Even now, Kageyama sways his tail towards the kitchen and swipes some treats for the older merboy knowing that he wasn’t going to be happy when he got out of that room. He wasn’t happy right now either. What the King had proposed made perfect sense, to a certain degree, and there were many reasons to justify what he was planning but at the same time, he hadn’t considered the consequences. 

Wiping out a human population meant two things for the merpeople: freedom and safety, or the threat of war and constrictions. Not only that but, Kageyama knew that ‘Iwa-chan’ was up there. Oikawa and that human boy were friends, however much it left a bitter taste in his mouth admitting that. And somewhere up there, Kageyama had also- 

“Where did you get those from?” A well-built merman hovered over Kageyama, gesturing to the plate of snacks, and the sudden question asked caused bubbles to fly in Kageyama’s face. He squinted his eyes shut and waited for them to pass, then he peered up after feeling a striped tail curl around him. 

“The kitchen”, the merman smiled wide, his blonde fringe that usually hid the side of his face was now flowing away, exposing that analytical gaze.  

Kageyama shivered. 

“Don’t tell me it’s for Oikawa-sama", the merman breathed lowly. Kageyama shifted in the water, and the merman sensed the ripples, only coming closer now, “can I have some?” 

He didn’t like this. There was no space. He couldn’t move. 

_“Hold his legs down”_  

The tail curled. 

_“Keep him quiet”_  

“You don’t have to tell him” 

_Stop!_  

_“_ Miya-chan!” 

Kageyama felt his whole body relax the second that striped tail slithered away. Both mermen turned towards the Prince and bowed. 

“I’m  _not_ in the mood for this”, Oikawa grumbled as he snatched Kageyama’s arm and moved him away, “me and you are going to have a talk”. Kageyama bit his lip. Oikawa was growling, he didn’t sound happy and Kageyama knew he wouldn’t be. But he still didn’t like it. 

Once they were in a private and secluded area, where none of the King’s personal staff could spy on them, Oikawa let loose. 

 

“Since when did you know my father was planning an attack?” 

“S-since yesterday, after Matsukawa-sama was caught in the net”. 

Right, Oikawa seethed. More and more recently the humans were fishing outside of their designated zones, and more and more merpeople were getting dragged into it. Obviously, his father would be furious about it. He was too. Mattsun was his half-brother and so was Makki. They just needed to communicate with the humans was all, but his father would never talk to those ‘selfish scumbags’. 

“What did he say to you?” Oikawa had a firm grip on Kageyama’s shoulders. 

“Not to me directly, he told Matsukawa-sama that he wouldn’t let anything like that happen again. That he was going to stop it once and for all. He looked mad. And I heard about that from Hanamaki-sama". Oikawa grit his teeth and Kageyama winced at the increased pressure. “Don’t be upset. I got you these to-” 

“I don’t care!” Oikawa exploded. His father was going to kill his best friend and nothing could change the King’s mind once it was set. Stupid everything! Why couldn’t Tobio have told him earlier?! 

“Oikawa-san, I got these to calm you down-” 

“I said no!” 

His hand swiped out and smacked the tray on the seabed, a gust of sand covering he fallen contents. 

“Do you think this is the time for that? How dumb  _are_ you? Iwa-chan is going to be killed in  _two_ _day_ _s_  and you want me to swim around and eat that  _shit_?!” 

 

Kageyama flinched and shuffled back. Oikawa was shouting at him now. He didn’t want to be there anymore. But he stayed, because Oikawa needed to shout at someone and if that person was going to be Kageyama, then so be it.  

It wasn’t his place to fight back. 

“Oikawa-” 

“Shut up! You’re so annoying!” 

“You need to calm down-” 

“Don’t tell me what to do!” 

They were yelling over each other, one was under unimaginable stress and utter despair, while the other was feeling as if his world had just ended. 

“Oikawa-san,  _please!_ ”  

He was shoving now, and Kageyama wanted him to stop so bad.  

He just didn’t know how. Didn’t know if he was allowed to do what he wanted to do. 

“Oikawa-san, enough of this! Stop it, please!”  

The Prince was growling, and his tail was thrashing around wildly as was his claws, tearing through skin.  

_Pain_. 

Kageyama knew pain all too well. 

_“Hold his legs down-”_  

“STOP!” 

He threw Oikawa off of him and the water swirled and twirled around them, the rush of heavy waves pushed them away further. Kageyama could leave now, he could tell another guard to come watch Oikawa, or tell the King that his son sent him away. 

But he stayed. 

Maybe he really was dumb. 

He didn’t care. 

Oikawa was better now anyway. The water had settled around him and he was breathing deep and slow. The water around Kageyama was red. 

“We need to stop my father. I won’t allow him to attack the humans”. Kageyama thought of the human boy, Oikawa’s friend, how the Prince became full of life in those moments. 

“Yes, Oikawa-san. I know”. 

 

* * *

 

Two days wasn’t a long time. Two days made Oikawa’s scales stand on end. Two days had the entire kingdom buzzing. 

Two days, and Oikawa didn’t like it. 

It turned out, he wasn’t the only one who disagreed with the King’s rash decision. Other guards of the castle, some of the civilians who had overheard the rumour, even Makki and Mattsun, his family who had first-hand experience of human nature, were all against it. Members of the council too tried to persuade the King to change tactics. 

All for naught. 

The King was stubborn, and now he finally had an excuse to demolish the humans.  

There was movement going on in the castle, secret meetings and a secret group forming to somehow defend the humans. Oikawa was part of it all. Some participants were there because they feared how the humans would retaliate to the attack, others were there for the same reason Oikawa was. They had people up there that they cared about too. 

However, despite the urgent get-togethers and lengthy discussions of how to get the King to back off, no official plans had been laid out. There just wasn’t enough time and the risk of being persecuted for treason was too high with whatever strategy they chose. They didn’t want the humans dead, but they didn’t want a civil war either. 

The humans helped in more ways than the King realised, they fished away predators of the merpeople, freeing up space for the kingdom to grow, they dropped precious materials into the ocean, which the merpeople salvaged to form strong weapons and sturdy barriers. There was a balance between ocean and land that the King didn’t understand. Nevertheless, they had no idea what to do. 

And time was running out. 

Not to mention, Oikawa hadn’t seen Tobio in a while. The Prince did dismiss him when he needed to attend a meeting, but it was like the merboy had wanted to leave himself. He would never say it out loud, but Tobio was good company. 

He was a good listener. 

Even if he didn’t understand anything sometimes. Tobio was the dumbest merboy he had ever met. 

Oikawa didn’t want to think about him anymore, time was ticking away and it didn’t stop for no one. 

How Oikawa wished it did. 

 

* * *

 

Oikawa didn’t know what to feel. 

They weren’t there. 

The humans. 

His father had come up to the surface and found nothing, as if no one had ever lived there in the first place. 

Where did they go?  

He had mixed emotions about the whole ordeal, and even after nearly a week since the King struck, he still couldn’t sort them out. He had a feeling the humans were OK, because he knew that their disappearance was timed all too well. Someone had planned it out and no one knew who. So Oikawa was partially relieved. 

But then, who could’ve saved them? And how did they convince the humans to evacuate? 

Whoever it was, Oikawa didn’t want them getting found out. His father was raging mad and declared that if he ever saw the merpeople responsible, they’d all be made an example of. They didn’t deserve to be punished, or hunted for, their situation made Oikawa feel bad for them.  

He was rooting for them after all. 

He wished he could talk to Iwaizumi though, he didn’t even know where he was, would he ever be able to talk to him again?  

That thought worried him. 

the only merpeople that knew the humans’ location were the merpeople that rescued them. And that was no one from the secret group Oikawa had become a part of. He was absolutely certain about that, since they were all just as taken aback by the turn of events as we was. So, it was someone outside of their group. 

Oikawa wanted to find them, and he was going to get answers. 

 

* * *

 

He didn’t like it when Oikawa wasn’t happy.  

He didn’t like it when Oikawa shouted, or cried. He didn’t like it when Oikawa was quiet. 

He liked it when Oikawa smiled. When he laughed, and talked loudly, and made jokes and funny faces. 

If Iwaizumi was the one to make Oikawa happy, then so be it.  

It wasn’t Kageyama’s place to choose that. 

He called the Prince, and quietly asked if he would like to see something. 

It was strange, to have Oikawa following him instead of the other way around. Kageyama couldn’t watch the Prince’s tail sweep through the water while being at the front, but now Oikawa could watch his. 

They swam together for a long time, and all throughout the journey, Oikawa was silent.  

It wasn’t Kageyama’s place to change that. 

After a while, they had arrived at the edge of a low cliff, the water was shallow and light, and when they looked up, the surface was clearer than ever before. 

“Tobio”, 

_A whisper_. 

“Yes?” 

_Silence_. 

“Did you...?” 

_Nothing_. 

A third voice cut in, half drowned out by the water between them. 

“Tooru?” 

Oikawa’s eyes widened, and when he popped his head up, Kageyama heard laughter. 

And sobs. 

If Iwaizumi was the one Oikawa would love, then so be it. 

It wasn’t his place to feel anything. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Well.... What can I say?
> 
> Anyway! Thank you so much for reading this and I hope you all have enjoyed this Oikage event because I certainly have!  
> Just a few more things to get out for this fic:  
> 1) Kageyama was not tortured. It was hinted during the fic, but for those who didn't notice - Kageyama used to be human. The scars he has are from the experiments he was put under. He was found in an abandoned submarine full of dead humans. The rest is for you to imagine.  
> 2) Oikawa, Hanamaki and Matsukawa are half-brothers. They have different mothers. Oikawa's sister is just his sister. No half thing or anything. Hanamaki and Matsukawa are members of the royal council while Oikawa is heir to the throne. This is because only Oikawa's mother is still alive.  
> 3) It may have been obvious to some, but it was Kageyama who evacuated the humans. No one else was involved. He managed to talk to Iwaizumi and get him to move the humans.
> 
> Also, THE ART IS NOW UP!!! My tumblr (@yaytobio).
> 
> [Mer-art!!](https://yaytobio.tumblr.com/post/182422927565/its-incomplete-apologies-but-heres-the)
> 
> Well, that's all. Thank you again. Let me know what you guys thought. Feedback is much appreciated! :)


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